Review: Razor's Edge

Razor's Edge by Martha Wells
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Razor's Edge is one of the books in a trilogy about our favourite characters. It focuses on Princess Leia Organa. This book takes place after the battle of Yavin, but before the next movie in the series. Leia is on a resistance mission with Han when they're attacked and must flee. There are only little cameos from Luke R2, Chewie and C3PO. I do wish we had seen more from Luke, because the books with Jedis (from my experience reading Star Wars books thus far) are more interesting. I understand why they wouldn't feature him, as the book is about Leia but Han was heavily included.

It was nice to get small glimpses into Leia's character and it made her more human. She's tough and willing to do what needs to be dome. Most people underestimate her because she's a princess, much to their realized dismay.

The author assumes you are well-versed in the Star Wars universe. A casual fan will have no trouble following the story, but may not be able to imagine everything. Non-human beings are named but not always vividly described. Sometimes systems or locales are mentioned without further detail. For the benefit of a more casual reader and world building, it would have been nice if more details were provided.

Overall the story was enjoyable and a fitting addition to the universe, even if it isn't canon anymore. Recommended to any Star Wars fans as well as those that enjoy science fiction or adventure. Suggested that you rewatch the originals, at least 4 and 5 before reading this book.

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Review: These Broken Stars

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did the thing you're not supposed to do, I judged a book by its cover. The cover just drew my eye and I decided to read it without knowing the premise. The author made both characters relatable, even though they were the typical trope of uptown girl and downtown boy which could have been unoriginal and boring. The switching of perspective between the debrief/interview (the present) and the two main characters (the past), added a nice depth to the narrative and storybuilding. The characters were not flat and this allowed them to develop over the course of the story. I do wish we had gotten a little more backstory to make them more fully developed, but it was still good as written. The world building could have definitely been more expansive. They were on an entirely foreign world and I had to rely almost entirely on my imagination to populate it. Despite those concerns, I really enjoyed reading the book and definitely recommend it. I will be reading the subsequent books in the series.

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Review: Inferno

Inferno by Dan Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dan Brown's novels always give you wanderlust. I cannot read one of his books without dreaming of traveling to Italy, viewing the famous statues, buildings and art, traveling in a gondola in Venice or wandering the ancient streets of Rome. Inferno is not exception. It also inspired me to read Danté, research the works of art mentioned in the novel and otherwise immerse myself in the experience. I oscillate between liking the main character, Robert Langdon and being turned off by his portrayal. I just don't find everyone's instant attraction to him to be believable and find it to be off putting. I did enjoy the diverse cast of supporting characters that Brown introduces in this novel. Overall, greatly recommended and to enhance the experience perhaps familiarize yourself with Danté.

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Review: Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I felt that this book started off slowly. It took a while to get into the storyline, but after a few chapters I was completely involved in the story. I wasn't sure that I was going to like the story, but I ended up falling in love with the concept and can't wait to read the other books.

The world and character building was a little sparse considering that the reader is going into these novels without any idea about the world, the rulers and rules, or the Grisha. I do wish we were given a chapter or so to really explain the Grisha as they are the most fascinating part of the novel. There are these people with powers and you're introduced to what they can do as you see them, but I feel like a reader would connect with the novel more if you understood the heirarchy of the Grisha, the way they categorize powers, and what those powers could entail before we are introduced to the multitude of abilities and fringe characters.

The novel progressed at a good pace until it came to the end and then it seems like a number of plot points were just jammed into the conclusion. It felt like the author wrote 87% of their novel and then said, "Shoot. We need the bad guy to accomplish x by the end of the novel, mess up the good guy's life, and then have the good guy come up with a plan that allows them to segue into the next novel... and I've only got 13% of the book left to accomplish it." It just seemed to jump around too much and I would have preferred it if the book was lengthened so that the storyline could be fully fleshed out.

Other than those concerns, I did really enjoy the book and look forward to reading the rest of the series. Definitely give it a chance if you like YA and unique magic series like Sword of Truth or Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

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